GM to add or keep 4,000 jobs in US

GM said Tuesday that it will add 4,000 jobs in the U.S. by hiring new employees or calling back furloughed workers over the next year and a half. It’s the latest sign that that the company and U.S. car industry are recovering from a sales slump and bankruptcies.

GM will spend $2 billion at 17 plants in eight states to create the new work. Most of the investment will be in the Midwest. Beyond that, few details were released about where the jobs will land.

It’s also not clear how many of the positions will be new ones. Many will be existing jobs retained with the introduction of new cars and trucks. The automaker will announce over the next few months which plants are getting new investments.

GM spokeswoman Kimberly Carpenter said the company has about 1,300 laid off workers waiting to be recalled in the U.S. GM expects to recall all of them by the end of the year and already is adding workers at factories in Flint, Mich., Orion Township, Mich., and Delta Township, Mich., near Lansing, she said.

The news is sure to boost GM’s image after it came under fire for taking a $50 billion government bailout.